University of Minnesota Athletics
Winfield No. 15 on BTN Icons List
10/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Minnesota’s Dave Winfield has been named Big Ten Icon No. 15. The countdown of Big Ten Icons, presented by Discover, continues at 8 p.m. (CT) on Tuesday, Oct. 19, with a profile of the St. Paul, Minn., native, the first person in history to be drafted by teams in the NFL (Minnesota Vikings), NBA (Atlanta Hawks) and MLB (San Diego Padres).
The episode contains exclusive interviews with Winfield, Kevin McHale, Paul Molitor, Minnesota baseball coach John Anderson, former Minneapolis Star-Tribune writer Jon Roe and others.
New episodes of the 20-episode series, hosted by legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson, debut at 9 PM ET every Tuesday night through the end of football season and into the spring.
Winfield played baseball and basketball at Minnesota. As a junior, Winfield helped the Gophers win the 1972 Big Ten basketball title. As a senior, Winfield averaged more than 10 points and six rebounds, helping the basketball team to a 21-5 record. On the baseball diamond, he was one of the best players in the country. He posted a 9-1 record on the mound, with 109 strikeouts in 82 innings, and hit .385 at the plate to lead Minnesota to the Big Ten championship and a third-place finish at the College World Series where he was named the Most Outstanding Player.
Winfield is a member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame and was the No. 2 vote-getter on the College World Series Legends team.
In the episode, Winfield says, "I enjoyed pitching immensely once I learned how to do it. Because once you toed that rubber, stepped on the mound in the middle of the field, it was up to you. I knew I could hit and was going to drive in runs, but I knew I could control the game if I stood on the mound, too.”
Anderson says, “The outfield fence is wooden and I can remember some of those (Winfield) line drives would hit the wood so hard I thought he was going to knock the thing over. And it would echo. I remember the loudness of the impact. It startled me.”
In an essay for www.BigTenIcons.com, former Chicago Tribune sports editor Dan McGrath wrote, “At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Dave Winfield cast an imposing shadow as an athlete. He has left a footprint to match, in all walks of life.” To read the full essay and to watch a video feature on Winfield, visit his Big Ten Icons locker at www.BigTenIcons.com.
So far, Winfield is one of four Golden Gophers to be named in the Top 50 of the list of Big Ten Icons. Bobby Bell (Minnesota Football - 1960-62) was named No. 40, Neal Broten (Minnesota Hockey - 1979-81) was No. 31 and Bronko Nagurski (Minnesota Football - 1927-29) was No. 21.
The No. 1 Big Ten Icon will be revealed in March 2011. Big Ten Icons is the network's most ambitious multi-platform initiative to date. The program is counting down the top 50 student-athletes in Big Ten history, based solely on their collegiate playing careers. All student-athletes from current Big Ten schools are eligible for the network's list, even if they did not personally play in the Big Ten. Icons 50 through 21 were revealed earlier at BigTenIcons.com.
Fans can visit www.BigTenIcons.com to see a complete roster of Big Ten Icons, which also features essays, video and other key facts about each Icon's career. Viewers can also participate in the "Talk of the Locker Room" contest with a chance to win the $10,000 grand prize. Weekly winners will take home a 55-inch Philips HD television.
Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman said the series will engage and spark conversation among sports fans everywhere. "What will make Big Ten Icons stand out is the depth of the storytelling," he said. "The rankings themselves are sure to generate quite a bit of discussion."
The episode contains exclusive interviews with Winfield, Kevin McHale, Paul Molitor, Minnesota baseball coach John Anderson, former Minneapolis Star-Tribune writer Jon Roe and others.
New episodes of the 20-episode series, hosted by legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson, debut at 9 PM ET every Tuesday night through the end of football season and into the spring.
Winfield played baseball and basketball at Minnesota. As a junior, Winfield helped the Gophers win the 1972 Big Ten basketball title. As a senior, Winfield averaged more than 10 points and six rebounds, helping the basketball team to a 21-5 record. On the baseball diamond, he was one of the best players in the country. He posted a 9-1 record on the mound, with 109 strikeouts in 82 innings, and hit .385 at the plate to lead Minnesota to the Big Ten championship and a third-place finish at the College World Series where he was named the Most Outstanding Player.
Winfield is a member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame and was the No. 2 vote-getter on the College World Series Legends team.
In the episode, Winfield says, "I enjoyed pitching immensely once I learned how to do it. Because once you toed that rubber, stepped on the mound in the middle of the field, it was up to you. I knew I could hit and was going to drive in runs, but I knew I could control the game if I stood on the mound, too.”
Anderson says, “The outfield fence is wooden and I can remember some of those (Winfield) line drives would hit the wood so hard I thought he was going to knock the thing over. And it would echo. I remember the loudness of the impact. It startled me.”
In an essay for www.BigTenIcons.com, former Chicago Tribune sports editor Dan McGrath wrote, “At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Dave Winfield cast an imposing shadow as an athlete. He has left a footprint to match, in all walks of life.” To read the full essay and to watch a video feature on Winfield, visit his Big Ten Icons locker at www.BigTenIcons.com.
So far, Winfield is one of four Golden Gophers to be named in the Top 50 of the list of Big Ten Icons. Bobby Bell (Minnesota Football - 1960-62) was named No. 40, Neal Broten (Minnesota Hockey - 1979-81) was No. 31 and Bronko Nagurski (Minnesota Football - 1927-29) was No. 21.
The No. 1 Big Ten Icon will be revealed in March 2011. Big Ten Icons is the network's most ambitious multi-platform initiative to date. The program is counting down the top 50 student-athletes in Big Ten history, based solely on their collegiate playing careers. All student-athletes from current Big Ten schools are eligible for the network's list, even if they did not personally play in the Big Ten. Icons 50 through 21 were revealed earlier at BigTenIcons.com.
Fans can visit www.BigTenIcons.com to see a complete roster of Big Ten Icons, which also features essays, video and other key facts about each Icon's career. Viewers can also participate in the "Talk of the Locker Room" contest with a chance to win the $10,000 grand prize. Weekly winners will take home a 55-inch Philips HD television.
Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman said the series will engage and spark conversation among sports fans everywhere. "What will make Big Ten Icons stand out is the depth of the storytelling," he said. "The rankings themselves are sure to generate quite a bit of discussion."
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